River Ridge Man Indicted for Production, Receipt, and Possession of Child Pornography

NEW ORLEANS—CHRISTOPHER SOMMERS, 28, of River Ridge, Louisiana, was indicted today by a Federal Grand Jury sitting in New Orleans, for crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children, announced U.S. Attorney Jim Letten.

According to today’s indictment and documents filed in federal court earlier this week, SOMMERS produced sexually explicit images involving the use of a toddler. SOMMERS was also indicted for receiving and possessing images of child pornography.

If convicted, SOMMERS faces a maximum penalty of thirty (30) years with a mandatory minimum of fifteen (15) years' imprisonment as to Count 1; a maximum penalty of twenty (20) years with a mandatory minimum of five (5) years' imprisonment as to Count 2; a maximum penalty of ten (10) years' imprisonment as to Count 3, followed by up to a lifetime term of supervised release; a $250,000.00 fine; and SOMMERS can be required to register as a sex offender.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

U.S. Attorney Letten reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba.